Platform type shoe



Jan. 16, 1951 R. MAI-ING PLATFORM TYPE SHOE i! SheeLs-Sheet l Filed Nov. 1948 Jan. 16, 1951 R. MALING 2,538,373

PLATFORM TYPE SHOE Filed NOV. 4, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 16, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFICE fPLAT-EORM TYPEY SHOE Roy` Maling, Chestnut Hill, Mass., assigner to Margaret A. Maling, Chestnut Hill, `Mass.

Application-,November 4, 1.948, SerialNo. 58,313-` (Cll :i6-19.5")

'SiClaimsi 15' This invention relates to improyementsin plat.- form type shoes ,and slippers wherein a covered platform base unit is cementedtoA anupper and an o-utsole is cemented to the under side of the platform base unit.

In the manufacture of shoes and slippers of the general type to which the invention relates, the attainment of a desired thickness of the platform unit, particularly at forepart regions, heretofore 'has necessitated inclusion of objectionable vbulk `of platform stock which has added. undesired weight and stiffness to the base units.. Public preference dictates that platform basestructures should Vpresent the appearance of 'having substantial thickness at1forepart regions, yet thebuying public is quick to reject a shoewhose `forepart lacks an expected easy flexibility, or which gives the lfeel of excess weight or bulk.

It is among Ythe objects of the inventionto pro,- vide a platform base structure for shoesgland. slippers wherein a relatively thin and flexible forepart platform member has covered edges which provide the appearance ofarelatively thick platform while ysimultaneously facilitating `the procedure-of combinngan upper with a platform base unit.

A feature is thatV fa relatively thick bead is stitched around the top margin ofV a relatively thin forepart member of felt, or the like, and the covering stripfor the edges of theplatform unit extends over the bead to provide a covered edge whose thickness `may be substantially greater than Athe thickness of the forepart member, and the beaded top surface of 'the forepart member presents a generally concave juncture surface within whose bead applied cement may beconfined; and an upper unit is substantially self-centering when seated within the -bea-d.

Another object is to provide means whereby a substantial bead Vmay be practicably and endur- Aingly secured around the shank and heel regions of a base structure which-has substantially'its full thickness attheseregions made up vof wood' or the Alike to which a bead may not be secured di rectly in any satisfactory manner. The invention provides acarrier sheet, of fibre board or the like, to which the bead may be stitched, and the carrier sheet isf-cemented'to the wooden shank and heel element or elements of the platform,

the forward portion of the carrier sheet and the rear portion of the forepart member preferably. overlapping each other over the forward portion of the wood shank element, whereby all of these elements may be stapled or otherwise secured togather.

YetV another object is to provide a substantial upstanding marginalv bead all around the top margin of a platform base unit ,for shoes .and slippersand to effect securement of the beadat the shank and heeli regions by stitching it direct- 1y 'toV an underlying vsheet element which in turn is cemented in covering relation to the 'upper surface of a solid shank andV heel member, said bead constituting a centering ymeans for correct placing of an upper on 'the base unit, and `also serving to. obscure the line .ofcemented juncture between the upper andthe base unit.

It is, moreover, my purpose and object generally to improve the. structure of platform base units for shoes and slippers, and more especially such units which are designed .to be combined with an upper and an outsole by'cement.

In the accompanyingdrawings:

Fig. l` is a side elevation of a shoe embodying features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a medial'` longitudinal cross-sectional `view of one form of beaded base unit of a shoe like that-of Fig. '1, omitting the outsole;

Fig. 3 is a topplan vievv'oi' the .unit of Fig. 2. but omittingits coveringelement;

Fig. et is a medial'longitudinal. cross-sectional view of another form of beaded base unit .of a shoe like that o f Fig. l', but omitting its covering `elem-ent;

Fig; 5 is a topA plan view of the unit Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6v is a fragmentary medial longitudinal cross-sectional view' off the unit of Fig. 4 on a `-largerscale and including its covering element.

Referring to` the drawing., the platformr base unit, indicated generally at t0 in Fig, 1, has an upper lf2` cemented toits top surface and an outsole I4 cementedtoits bottomsurface.

According to the invention, `the platform base unit h as .asolid' .generally wedge-shaped heel element l"6 of wood .or theli-ke, which has tapering, extent, forwardly to. provide shank curvature for the shoe. A relatively thin. forepart member I8, of felt, or comparable-resilient material, has. its rear ,edge portiontapering in thickness .to a. feather @edgeiand vthis tapering portion of member y1.8- oyerlies the forward edge portion of thesolid L'heel element il-(iilso thatfthese overlapping portions conveniently may be secured together, as by the staples 20. This provides a 'structure wherein the thin forepart member I8 is light and highly exible.

The thin forepart member I8 is built up in thickness around its top margin by the addition of a substantial bead 22 of flexible material which 1s stitched at 24 to the member I8 all around the forepart.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, the bead extends only to or slightly beyond the region of overlapping of member I8 and element I6. A covering element 2'6 of sheet material is wrapped over the side edges of the unit all around the unit, its upper marginal portion, at the forepart, being turned inward over the bead 22 and cemented at the top side of the unit, and its lower marginal portion being turned inward and cemented to the under side of the unit. By this means, the thin and highly flexible forepart member I8, as seen in Fig. 2, is made to provide the edge appearance of substantially greater thickness, as seen in Fig. 1.

The bead 22 around the top margin of the forepart member I8 of a base unit It! has additional very distinct advantages in the procedure of combining a base unit with an upper. It constitutes a guide within which cement applied to the top side of the base unit readily may be confined, and it guides the proper centering of an upper on the base unit during the 'combining operation. After the combining, and

in the finished shoe, the covered bead completely obscures the glue line, which is within and behind the bead.

In a preferred form of the invention, the advantages of the bead are provided all around the base unit, as shown in Figs. 4 6. This involves a problem to adequately secure the head in the shank and heel regions. It is commercially impracticable to secure the bead directlyto the thick and bulky solid wood heel element I6. Accoi-ding to the invention, the bead 22' is stitched to the thin forepart member I 8, as previously described, and is stitched at 28 to a heel covering sheet element 3E] all around the top margin of the latter. Preferably, the forepart member I 8 and the heel covering sheet element 3B will overlap a little, as shown at 32, and the beadsecuring stitches will secure these overlapping portions together, along each side, so that the member I8 and the element 39, with the bead thereon, may be applied as a pre-stitched assembly to the heel element I6 and be stapled, as at The base structure of Fig. 4 is covered the same as described in connection with the Figs. 2 and 3 form, but the covering element 26' in this case (Fig. 6), has its top marginal portion turned inward over` the bead all around the unit, and the bead, in the completed shoe, obscures the glue line all around the shoe, as well as preliminarily serving for guiding the applying of cement to the base unit and for centering the upper on the base unit, as described in connection with the Figs. 2 and 3 form.

The heel covering sheet element 30 is secured to the heel element by any suitable means, preferably by a coating of cement applied to one or both of the meeting surfaces.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a shoe, a platform base unit comprising a substantially rigid heel element having tapering extent into the shank region of the unit for providing shank curvature, a relatively thin forepart element of flexible resilient material extending rearwardly into substantial overlapping relation to the forward end of the rigid heel element, a flexible sheet element for covering the top surface of the heel element, said forepart element and said heel-covering element having appreciable overlapping extent in the shank region of the unit, an upstanding bead on the upper margin of the unit, stitched to the forepart element all around the forepart of the unit and stitched to said heel-covering element all around the real1 part of the unit, the bead securing stitches securing the forepart and heelcovering elements together along opposite sides of their said overlapping extents, cement securing the heel-covering element to the top surface of the heel element, and a covering sheet covering the edges of all of said elements and turned inward over said bead, whereby the covered unit has edge thickness substantially greater than the thickness of the said covered elements.

2. In a shoe, a platform base unit comprising a substantially rigid heel element having tapering extent into the shank region of the unit for providing shank curvature, said heel element having a plane under surface, a relatively thin forepart element of flexible resilient material extending rearward into appreciable overlapping relation to the forward end of the heel element, said forepart element having the major portion of its under surface in the plane of the under surface of the rigid heel element, a thin sheet element covering the top surface of the heel element, an upstanding bead stitched to the forepart element all around its upper margin, and stitched to said heel-covering element all around its upper margin, cement securing the heel-covering element to the top surface of the heel element, mechanical means securing all of said elements together at the shank region of the unit, and a covering sheet wrapped over the edges of all of said elements and turned inward over said bead all around the unit, whereby the edge thickness of the unit substantially exceeds the body thickness of said elements throughout the extent of the unit.

3. In a shoe, a platform base unit comprising a substantially rigid heel element having tapering extent into the shank region of the unit for providing shank curvature, a relatively thin forepart element of exible resilient material, a sheet element for covering the top surface of the heel element, said forepart and heel-covering elements overlapping over the forward portion of the heel element, a bead extending all around the top margin of the unit, being stitched to the forepart element and to the heel-covering element, means securing all three of said elements together at the shank region of the unit a covering sheet covering the edges of elements and turned inward over said bead all around the unit, and an upper centered within said bead and cemented to the base unit within and behind said bead.

` ROY MALING.

No references cited. 

